An implantable medical device includes a secondary coil for receiving an RF signal from the external terminal by an induced electromotive force excited by an external terminal primary coil. RF signal includes a power signal for energizing the medical device and data signal generated upon modulation of the power signal for use in controlling the medical device. The implantable medical device further comprises: a power processing block for converting the received power signal into DC for use by the implantable medical device; a data communication circuit activated by the DC supplied from the power processing block for demodulating the modulated data signal from the RF signal; a charge unit for charging a battery with the DC supplied from the power processing block; and a control unit to be operative by a power supply from the battery for controlling the implantable medical device according to the demodulated data signal.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. An implantable medical device interworking with an external terminal having a primary coil, the implantable medical device comprising; a secondary coil configured to receive an RF signal from the external terminal by an induction of an induced electromotive force by magnetic coupling between the primary coil and the secondary coil, the RF signal including a power signal for energizing the implantable medical device and a data signal generated upon modulation of the power signal for use in controlling the implantable medical device; a power processing block configured to convert the received power signal into a DC power to be used by the implantable medical device; a charge unit configured to charge a battery with the DC power supplied from the power processing block; a communication signal detector configured to detect the data signal; a data communication circuit configured to be energized by the DC power supplied from the power processing block while the data signal is detected and to demodulate a modulated data; and a control unit configured to be energized by an operation power supplied from the battery, to control the implantable medical device according to a demodulated data signal, and to selectively connect or disconnect the data communication circuit from the power processing block depending on the presence of the data signal detected by the communication signal detector.
An implantable medical device receives power and data wirelessly from an external device's primary coil. A secondary coil in the implantable device picks up an RF signal through magnetic induction. This RF signal contains both a power signal to energize the device and a data signal, which is created by modulating the power signal. A power processing block converts the received power signal into DC power. A charge unit uses this DC power to charge a battery. A communication signal detector detects the data signal. While the data signal is detected, a data communication circuit, powered by the power processing block's DC output, demodulates the data signal. A control unit, powered by the battery, then controls the implantable device based on this demodulated data. The control unit also selectively connects or disconnects the data communication circuit from the power processing block, depending on whether the communication signal detector senses the data signal.
2. The implantable medical device of claim 1 , wherein the power processing block comprises: a resonator configured to generate the RF signal from the induced electromotive force; a rectifier configured to rectify an AC power by the RF signal into the DC power; and a regulator configured to regulate a rectified DC power and supply the rectified DC power to the data communication circuit and the battery of the charge unit.
The power processing block within the implantable medical device contains a resonator that generates the RF signal from the induced electromotive force. A rectifier converts the RF signal's AC power into DC power. Finally, a regulator stabilizes the rectified DC power and supplies it to both the data communication circuit and the battery charging unit. This ensures a stable power source for both data transfer and energy storage within the implantable device, which receives power wirelessly from an external device's primary coil.
3. The implantable medical device of claim 1 , further comprising: a first regulator configured to regulate the operation power supplied from the battery and provide a regulated operation power to the control unit; and a second regulator configured to regulate the rectified DC power supplied by the power processing block and supply a regulated DC power to the data communication circuit.
The implantable medical device includes a first regulator that stabilizes the battery's output to supply regulated power to the control unit. It also has a second regulator that stabilizes the DC power coming from the power processing block, providing regulated DC power to the data communication circuit. This dual-regulator setup ensures stable and reliable power delivery to the control unit and communication circuit, irrespective of fluctuations in battery voltage or the power received from the external RF signal. The device receives power and data wirelessly from an external device's primary coil.
4. The implantable medical device of claim 3 , wherein the control unit enables the second regulator in response to detection of the data signal supplied from the communication signal detector.
The control unit in the implantable medical device activates the second regulator, which regulates the DC power supplied to the data communication circuit, only when the communication signal detector senses the presence of a data signal. This conserves power by only enabling the regulator, and thus the data communication circuit, when data is being transmitted from the external device. The device receives power and data wirelessly from an external device's primary coil.
5. The implantable medical device of claim 1 , further comprising a switch disposed between the control unit and the charge unit to be turned on/off according to a control of the control unit.
The implantable medical device incorporates a switch between the control unit and the battery charging unit. The control unit controls the on/off state of this switch. This allows the control unit to manage the charging process, potentially disconnecting the charging circuit under certain conditions (e.g., full battery, over-voltage protection) to optimize battery life and device performance. The device receives power and data wirelessly from an external device's primary coil.
6. The implantable medical device of claim 5 , wherein the communication signal detector is further configured to generate the DC power by rectifying the power signal when the induced electromotive force is generated, and the control unit is awakened by the DC power and is operable to turn on the switch.
The communication signal detector generates DC power by rectifying the received power signal when the induced electromotive force is present. This DC power "wakes up" the control unit. Once awake, the control unit can then turn on the switch that allows the battery to be charged. This mechanism ensures that the control unit is only activated when power is being received, minimizing power consumption and allowing for responsive control over the charging process. The device receives power and data wirelessly from an external device's primary coil.
7. A power control method for an implantable medical device, comprising: detecting an RF signal induced by magnetic coupling from a primary coil provided at an external terminal to a secondary coil provided at the implantable medical device, the RF signal including a power signal for energizing the implantable medical device and a data signal generated upon modulation of the power signal for use in controlling the implantable medical device; supplying a control unit with an operation power from a battery of the implantable medical device; in response to a detection of the data signal, supplying a data communication circuit for communicating with the external terminal with a DC power from a power processor after a conversion from the RF signal; and cutting off a power supply to the data communication circuit in the absence of the detection of the data signal.
A power control method for an implantable medical device involves detecting an RF signal induced by magnetic coupling from an external primary coil to a secondary coil in the implantable device. The RF signal includes a power signal for energizing the device and a data signal for controlling it. The control unit receives power from the implantable device's battery. When the data signal is detected, the data communication circuit receives DC power from a power processor that converts the RF signal. When no data signal is detected, the power supply to the data communication circuit is cut off, conserving power.
8. The power controlling method of claim 7 , wherein the operation power is regulated by a regulator.
In the power control method for an implantable medical device, as described in the previous method, the battery's power supplied to the control unit is regulated by a voltage regulator. This regulation ensures that the control unit receives a stable and consistent power supply, regardless of fluctuations in the battery voltage. The power control method involves detecting an RF signal, supplying power to a control unit, supplying power to a data communication circuit when a data signal is detected, and cutting off power to the data communication circuit when no data signal is detected.
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October 27, 2011
April 25, 2017
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